The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries announced more than $875,000 in grants to 131 school libraries across the country, including a $7,000 grant to Bloomingdale Elementary. Bloomingdale was the only school in Indiana to receive the grant.

Bloomingdale will focus on bolstering its non-fiction books in its library with the grant, particularly by adding books about cultures, places in the world, technology, science, government, economics, careers and colleges. A portion of the grant will also be used to refresh the library’s fiction offerings, including new titles and books in Spanish.

The Foundation provides grants up to $7,000 to schools in need to extend, update and diversify the book and print collections in their libraries. The goal is to encourage students to develop a love of reading and learning. Since its inception in 2002, the Foundation has awarded more than $12.5 million to nearly 2,500 schools across the country. In addition to the annual grants, the “Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative” in 2006 provided more than $6.3 million to school libraries affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita so that they could rebuild book collections lost or destroyed in the storms.

In 2014, The Laura Bush Foundation transitioned from the Communities Foundation for the National Capital Region in Washington, D.C. to the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, where it is managed as a restricted fund. More information can be found at www.laurabushfoundation.org.

With nearly 30,000 students, Fort Wayne Community Schools is one of the largest school districts in Indiana. FWCS proudly allows families to choose any of its 50 schools through its successful school-choice program creating diversity in each school, including some with more than 75 languages spoken. FWCS offers seven magnet schools focusing on areas such as science and math, communication, fine arts or Montessori at the elementary and middle school level. In high school, students can choose from the prestigious International Baccalaureate program, Project Lead the Way or New Tech Academy as well as other rigorous academic and specialty training programs.